
(lass 

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PRESENTED IJY 



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R. H. TANEYHILL 



t®fy JiFa^pptooob (Job tf 7 **- 



/ 



AN ACCOUNT OF THE 






APPEARANCE AND PRETENSIONS 



JOSEPH C. DYLKS 



In Eastern Ohio in 1828 



BY 



R. H. TANEYHILL 



CINCINNATI 
ROBERT CLARKE & CO 

1SS0 






ti. ^\ . (W/vloTjutw 






* 



|HE main facts of this narrative were published 
some years ago, by Mr. Taney hill, in a series of 
articles in the Barnesville (Ohio) Enterprise, under the 
nom de plume of " R. King Bennett." The various 
statements have since been verified, and the narrative 
enlarged by the evidence of other witnesses. The de- 
lusion of which it treats was so extraordinary in its na- 
ture, and produced, in so short a time, so great and 
permanent a change in the religious belief of so many 
intelligent persons, that the publishers thought it worthy 
of preservation, as a curious episode in the religious 
history of the Ohio Valley, in their k ' Ohio Valley His- 
torical Miscellanies," issued in 1S70. There has been, 
all these years, a constant inquiry for it, which of late 
has become so pressing that the publishers are induced 

to print a small edition of it in separate form. 

(5) 



©$p Jkailjerfooob (Job. 



RELIGIOUS impostors have flourished in al- 
most every portion of the historic period. 
Nor is this remarkable, when we reflect that man, 
universally, is disposed to give credence to marvel- 
ous stories, to put faith in sanctimonious pretensions, 
and to refer whatever he does not understand to 
some supernatural agency. These religious cheats 
have always found read}' subjects to impress with 
their views, however visionary, and to mold into 
material to promote their ulterior schemes and pur- 
poses, however absurd and wicked. 

Such an impostor was Joseph C. Dylks, whose 
advent, teachings, journeyings, and unhallowed pre- 
tensions are truthfully rehearsed in the following 
pages, and form one of the most interesting and 
curious episodes in the history of the Ohio Valley. 

REGION WHERE HE APPEARED. 

The settlement at Salesville, Guernsey county, 
Ohio, was begun in the year 1806. The settlers 

(7) 



8 &fte fieatltertooofc dKofc. 

composing it were principally from the States of 
Pennsylvania and Virginia, with occasionally an 
immigrant family, who had ventured from the old 
world to fight the battle of life in the new. 

The lands within the limits of the settlements 
were very rich, well watered, and heavily timbered. 
Through them flowed the Leatherwood creek, 
skirted by wide bottoms. Its clear, bright waters, 
sparkling amid copses and woods, fell sufficiently 
at various points to afford water-power for mills, 
while numerous tributary streams coming down 
from the hills, laved the banks of narrow, fertile 
valleys, and gave ample supplies of good water for 
man and beast. Springs were abundant, and the 
scenery at many points was picturesque and ro- 
mantic. A region possessing such a variety of ad- 
vantageous conditions was well calculated to attract 
to it, as this did, a class of settlers averaging above 
those of the majority of settlements in the Valley of 
the Ohio, in intelligence, morality, and educational 
advancement. Prominent among the early settlers 
here were the Brills, Frames, Williamses, and Pul- 
leys, the numerous descendants of whom have con- 
tributed so much to make that neighborhood one of 
the most enlightened and refined in our great and 
beautiful State. 

The settlers at Salesville were subjected, how- 



Khz Seatftertooofc <£otr. 9 

ever, to the hardships common to the pioneers of the 
West. A wilderness had to be subdued, great for- 
ests had to be felled, and untamed nature to be re- 
claimed into fields and meadows. Houses had to 
be built, out-buildings to be constructed, and the 
infinite appliances of our civilization to be brought 
about them ; all of which required time, and the 
exertion of much physical and mental labor. The 
settlers, therefore, had but little leisure to devote 
to the embellishment and charities of life. 

STATE OF RELIGION IN THE SETTLEMENT. 

At the pioneer settlements of the West, the fam- 
ilies at any given point were generally of one re- 
ligious creed, being drawn together by the recipro- 
cal attraction of a common sentiment. 

Salesville, however, was an exception. The set- 
tlers here were of diverse religious views ; some 
were Methodists, some United Brethren, while 
others represented many of the sects of the day. 
Nearly all were men of deep religious convictions, 
to whom the worship of the Most High was a 
necessity. Hence, as early as 1816, all united in a 
common effort, and put up a commodious, hewed 
log church, about the fourth of a mile north of 
the Lealherwood creek, on the hill overlooking the 
present village of Salesville. As it was the prop- 



io &fie Heatliertooofc (Koto. 

erty of no sect, it was called by common consent 
the Temple. 

At this house of worship, for many years, the 
settlers met regularly to offer up their devotions. 
But as ministers came among them only at long in- 
tervals to deliver religious instruction, that work 
fell generally upon some of themselves, and it was 
done with a will and force that caused the Temple 
and its worshipers to be a power in the land, wide- 
spread and influential. 

Time wore away, during which the other settle- 
ments of Eastern Ohio erected church-houses, and 
the Methodist and United Brethren churches estab- 
lished circuits and appointed preachers to adminis- 
ter to the spiritual wants of the people ; the Temple 
still remaining a common shelter for the worship of 
all sects, demonstrating that often spoken, but sel- 
dom-practiced, expression, " How pleasant it is for 
brethren to dwell together in unity." 

The ecclesiastical polity of the United Brethren 
church is very similar to that of the Episcopal Metho- 
dists. They hold general, annual, and quarterly 
conferences ; have bishops, presiding elders, itine- 
rant ministers, and local preachers. For ministerial 
administration they divide the country into diocese, 
districts, and circuits, the presiding elders and trav- 



eling preachers being supplied by the annual con- 
ferences. 

LEATHERWOOD CIRCUIT. 

At the time of which I am about to write, the 
Salesville congregation of United Brethren and the 
Temple were included in what was called the 
Leatherwood circuit, which then extended from the 
Conauton creek, Tuscarawas county, to Marietta, 
and from the Muskingum to the Ohio river. It was 
called a circuit, although there was but little of the 
circle about it, as the appointments lay almost in 
a straight line from Conauton to Marietta. There 
were eight or ten preaching places south of the 
Temple, and as many more north of it. The Annual 
Conference of 1828 met in March, and appointed 
Rev. John Crum presiding elder of the district em- 
bracing the Leatherwood circuit, and the Revs. 
Sewell Briggs and Abner Martin, as the itinerant 
ministers for the circuit itself. To be as near the 
center of his field of labor as possible, Mr. Briggs 
located his family with the Temple congregation, 
while his coadjutor resided at the north end of the 
circuit. 

This conference 3-ear began with bright pros- 
pects for the United Brethren of the Temple neigh- 
borhood. Concord prevailed among the member- 
ship, zeal inspired their hearts, and a godly sorrow 



12 8Thcr 2Lcatftcrtoooti (Koto. 

for sinners determined them to exalt Zion and to 
extend and establish her borders. The reverend 
gentlemen appointed to minister to their spiritual 
wants were deeply imbued with the spirit of the 
Gospel, and were ardent to confirm the brethren 
and sow the good seed that should " spring up to 
eternal life." 

So in harmony and peace, in labors many, but 
with reward abundant, the Temple congregation 
moved on in their religious work through the spring 
and summer of that year, until the month of August 
was reached, when their Destroyer came — a de- 
stroyer that broke the unity of the church, seized 
their Temple, and supplanted the faith of their 
fathers by the most audacious and blasphemous 
errors, that ever found support in the infatuation of 
enlightened men. 

ADVENT OF THE LEATHERWOOD GOD. 

About the middle of August, a camp-meeting 
was held on the lands of one Casper Overley, two 
and a half miles north-west of the Temple, in the 
immediate vicinity of the M. E. Chapel, called 
Miller's meeting-house, under the auspices of the 
United Brethren church. The camp-meeting began 
on a Wednesday, and was to continue over Sunday. 
On Sunday the attendance was very large, the in- 



Uttxz Seatftertoooti (jKotx. 13 

gathering being from over twenty miles around. 
The Rev. John Crum, P. E., addressed the con- 
gregation at the afternoon service. He had pro- 
ceeded about half way in his discourse, and by his 
eloquent appeals had obtained the profound atten- 
tion of the audience, and had wrought their feelings 
up to their intensest pitch ; a silence solemn as the 
quietude of the grave pervaded the congregation, 
when a tremendous voice shouted "Salvation!" 
followed instantly by a strange sound, likened by 
all who heard it to the snort of a frightened horse. 
The minister was taken by surprise and stopped 
preaching, all eyes were turned to the spot whence 
the sound seemed to proceed, and were fixed on a 
stranger of odd appearance, seated about midway 
the congregation. He sat steadfastly in his seat, 
with a countenance of marked solemnity, and to- 
tally unmoved by the excitement which he had pro- 
duced. That stranger was Joseph C. Dylks, the 
noted "Leatherwood God" The shout and snort 
of Dylks are described by every one who heard 
them as imparting to all within their sound both 
awe and fear. One who had heard them often 
said : " They carried with them, right through you, 
a thrill like that felt when greatly scared in the 
dark, and a dread similar to that experienced when 
we think of dying instantly." Their effects upon 



14 arfte aeatftertoootr <&o*t. 

the congregation at the camp-meeting were singular 
indeed. Some of the men jumped to their feet, 
others bounced in their seats, women shrieked 
aloud, and every cheek blanched. It was several 
minutes before the minister could proceed with his 
sermon ; but the people gave no further heed to it, 
they were too much absorbed in scrutinizing the 
mysterious stranger. 

The strangest circumstance, however, connected 
with his advent is, that no one saw him come into 
the congregation, nor had any one there ever seen 
him before. The most searching inquiries were 
made, but no witness ever appeared to verify the 
manner of his coming. He was there, but that is 
all we will ever know about it. 

HIS PERSONAL CONDUCT. 

The dress and personal appearance of Dylks 
were such as to highten the astonishment of the 
people concerning him. He was about five feet 
eight inches high, straight as an arrow, a little 
heavy about the shoulders, but tapered symmetri- 
cally to the feet. His eyes black, large and flash- 
ing ; nose, slightly Roman ; forehead, low and 
broad ; hair, jet-black, long, and glossy, thrown 
back from the forehead over the ears, and hung in 
a mass over the shoulders, reaching nearly to the 



2Fhe acatlurtooofc (Kotr. 15 

middle of the back. His face was fair, but pale, 
and was pervaded by a look of deep solemnity, 
tinged with melancholy. He was dressed in a 
black broad-cloth suit, frock coat, white cravat, 
and wore a yellow beaver hat. He appeared to be 
between forty-five and fifty years of age. When we 
reflect that this was the day of linsey-wool hats, 
hunting shirts, and wamuses ; that there was not 
in that large multitude one broad-cloth coat, and not 
a male person whose hair was not cut close, and 
who had not a rustic, pioneer look, we see, at 
once, how these considerations complicate the ques- 
tion, how he got into the congregation unnoticed. 

SUBSEQUENT CONDUCT. 

When the congregation was dismissed, of course, 
many sought the acquaintance of Dylks. He main- 
tained a solemn gravity, but was affable and pleas- 
ant in his manner to all who approached him. He 
was invited home for supper by Mr. Pulley, at 
whose house he sojourned for several days. Dylks 
attended the night services, and, at the time most 
opportune for making the greatest impression on 
the people, again gave his shout and snort. 

An advent so strange and mystical — so like the 
coming of a spirit — was well calculated to excite 
the credulity of the people, and to form a ready 



16 &fte fieatfiertoootr <&o*. 

and sure basis for the pretense that he was endowed 
with supernatural powers. He immediately availed 
himself of the vantage ground given him over the 
minds of the community, and began secretly to de- 
clare himself to be a celestial being, bearing in his 
person a heavenly mission. Dylks was very socia- 
ble, and took great delight in visiting from house 
to house. He was every-where received with hos- 
pitality and kindness, and, when he bade adieu to 
a family, was always requested to repeat his visit. 
This afforded him fine opportunities to carry for- 
ward his plans. For several weeks following his 
advent, however, he made no public promulgation 
of his pretensions, but attended the various religious 
meetings of the neighborhood, conforming his con- 
duct to the occasion, and fervently uniting in the 
services. Sometimes he led at the meetings, at 
which times he informed his hearers that he was 
only a teacher, and not a preacher even. His 
manner of giving public instruction was peculiar. 
He used only one hymn, that beginning : 

" Plunged in a gulf of dark despair, 
We wretched sinners lay." 

This he would line off a verse at a time, then 
expound it, then sing it, and so on with each verse 
until the hymn was finished. His prayers were 



£fte Zeatiiertooott <£ott. 17 

pointed, sententious, and short — rarely occupying 
over two or three minutes, and always ending with 
the Lord's prayer. His expositions of scripture 
were clear, terse, and spirited ; his illustrations fa- 
miliar but pungent. He seemed to be a master of 
the Bible, unhesitatingly and correctly quoting any 
portion of it necessary for the illustration of his sub- 
ject. This was Dylks to the public. In secret, he 
was impressing certain members of the community 
with a knowledge of his tremendous spiritual pow- 
ers. Telling them that he came into the congre- 
gation at the camp-meeting in his spiritual body, 
then took a corporeal one, and clothed it as they 
saw him there ; that he could disappear and reap- 
pear at pleasure, perform miracles, and finally that 
he was the true Messiah come to set up the millen- 
nium, and establish a kingdom that should never 
end ; that he should never die, and that all who 
should believe on him should live forever in their 
natural bodies and hold the earth as an everlasting 
heritage ; that his kingdom would spread over the 
whole earth, and nothing but holiness dwell there- 
in ; that his body could be touched only by his 
permission ; that not one hair of his head could be 
taken from him. And that with one shout and one 
snort he could strike out the universe. 



18 erne 32ntthcttooot* ©'otr. 

PROMINENT CONVERTS. 

Conspicuous among the number led astray by 
the secret teachings of Dylks were Michael Brill, 
Robert McCormick, and John Brill. As they 
played a leading part in the Dylks' imposture, I 
will give them each a brief notice. 

Michael Brill was the earliest settler at Sales- 
ville. He was born in Loudon count}-, Virginia, 
in the year 1763, and was consequently in his sixty- 
fifth year at the advent of Dylks. Mr. Brill had 
been a prominent member of the United Brethren 
church for many years, and his acknowledged piety 
gave him a wide influence in the neighborhood. 
He was well off, owning a farm of one hundred 
and sixty acres, about a mile northwest of the Tern- 
-pie. His family consisted, at the time, of several 
daughters and one son — quite a boy. John Brill 
and George Brill, senior, who will be spoken of 
hereafter, were his younger brothers. 

Robert McCormick was born in Ireland, and 
came to the Salesville settlement in the year 1820, 
as a school teacher, which profession he followed 
in winter for many years. He was a member and 
local preacher in the United Brethren church. 
His farm adjoined that of his father-in-law, John 
Brill. At this time, Mr. McCormick was probably 



forty years of age, and in the full bloom of great 
intellectual and physical powers. He had a fine 
education, and was versed in the ways of men. 
Standing high in the church, of strict integrity, 
having an unblemished character, popular with the 
people, his personal appearance and manners pleas- 
ing and attractive, united to an intellectual force 
unusual in such a community, and a will-power un- 
yielding and vigilant, Robert McCormick was a 
personage well-fitted for a leader, and, as such, be- 
came the champion apostle of the Dylks' impos- 
ture. 

John Brill was also an early settler at Sales- 
ville, and at the advent of Dylks was about fifty 
years of age. He was also born in Loudon county, 
Virginia. Although he does not occupy a leading 
position in the Dylks' delusion, yet such were his 
relations to certain prominent characters in it, that 
this narrative would be incomplete without giving 
him a special notice. He was a member of the 
Methodist Episcopal church, and was a class-leader 
when Dylks made his appearance ; which station 
he held uninterruptedly for over twenty years. He 
was the owner of a large farm, possessed much 
other means, and was eminently popular and in- 
fluential. McCormick and James Foreacre, who 
will perform an important part in the career of 



20 jflhe ffieatftntoooti <£otr. 

Dylks, were his sons-in-law — Foreacre living at 
the time on Mr. Brills' farm. 

PROGRESS OF THE DELUSION. 

We have said that Dylks had, up to this time, 
carefully guarded from the public, as far as he 
could, what he had been teaching in secret. But 
by some means unknown, it had been reported that 
he had said he should never die. This report 
reached the ears of George Brill, Sr., at whose 
house Dylks had made frequent visits. So when 
he came again, Brill said to him : " I hear that you 
say you shall never die." Dylks very dexterously 
slipped out of the difficult}'. He raised his hands, 
exclaiming: " This shell will fall off," — then look- 
ing at Mr. Brill, continued — «« I can endure strong 
meat, but must be fed on milk for a time." The 
sagacious answer led Mr. Brill to infer that the re- 
port had started from a too liberal conclusion predi- 
cated on the language of Dylks. 

It was now about three weeks since Dylks had 
made his debut at the camp-meeting, and during 
this time he had made many proselytes to -his claims, 
including many devout and influential professors of 
Christianity. His plans were now full}' ready for 
the public promulgation of his pretensions, and 
events favored him. It was now Rev. Brigs' time 



to go to the appointments south of the Temple and 
preach, but he was suddenly taken ill, and it be- 
came necessary to obtain some other person to fill 
his place. Mr. McCormick was at last prevailed 
upon to make the tour in the place of the sick 
brother. He consented with the understanding that 
Dylks would go with him as his coadjutor. This 
Dylks agreed to do, and all things were made 
ready for them to start from the Temple on the next 
Wednesday morning. 

The first three appointments south of the Tetizple 
were Seneca, which was near where Mt. Ephraim 
now stands, in Noble county, Ohio. The next was 
at the dwelling-house of a brother named John 
Christhaven, some miles further south; and the 
third, at the dwelling-house of another .brother 
named Mason, who lived in the southwest corner of 
Monroe county. This brother, Mason, had a son 
named David, who was an invalid, and confined to 
the house b}^ consumption. David was about 
twenty-five years old, and had been for a year or 
two a licensed local preacher in the United Brethren 
church. 

Wednesday morning came, and McCormick and 
Dylks set forward from the Temple to administer 
to the congregations at the several appointments 
south of the Temple. 



22 3The Seatliertooofc (j&ofc. 

the journey and adventures of dylks and 
Mccormick. 

The following account of this clerical tour was 
placed in my hands by a gentleman whose father 
received the statements embodied in it from Mc- 
Cormick himself, which he reduced to writing at 
the time. The writer was one of Dylks' disciples, 
and placed implicit faith in what was told him by 
Mr. McCormick. Coming as it does from a genu- 
ine believer, who stood high in the Dylks' Brother- 
hood, through an honorable source, I do not hesi- 
tate to pronounce it official. I give it entire, only 
changing a few words and giving it a few gram- 
matical corrections : 

" We had scarcely crossed the Leatherwood, 
when I seemed lifted up into a heavenly atmosphere. 
I felt extremely pleasant, indeed, full of joy. The 
face of Dylks grew brighter and lovelier ; and his 
voice was exceedingly melodious. When we ar- 
rived at the top of the hill overlooking the Temple 
from the south, Dylks turned his horse's head, 
stretched out his hands toward it, and exclaimed : 

" ' Oh ! how ignorant is that people of my true 
nature. But time will reveal all things to them.' 
We then went on, occasionally stopping to pray 
and to give thanks to God, arriving at Seneca in 



mxt SctiUicvtoooti ©otr. 23 

due time. At this appointment, we discharged our 
religious duties to the apparent acceptance of the 
congregation. But we did not go to bed until late, 
consuming the time in prayer, singing praises to 
God, and reading his word. Started early the next 
morning ; when we had gone but a short distance 
a bright light circled the head of Dylks, who con- 
tinued wrapt in thought for some time. When we 
stopped to pray, as we had done the day before, 
this light remained over the saddle until Dylks 
would remount. So we continued to travel until we 
were about half way, when he heaved a deep sigh 
and said : i This work must be done.' 

" We dismounted and prayed. This we did sev- 
eral times before we reached Christhaven's, the next 
appointment. Dylks officiated there in a very sat- 
isfactory manner. That night we did not go to bed 
at all, but sat up praying and reading the scrip- 
tures. From the moment we left this appointment, 
the face of Dylks got lovelier and his voice sweeter. 
About noon we dismounted to pray. His counte- 
nance then appeared as if he were in an agony of 
mind. Up to this time whenever I was in Dylks* 
company, my feelings were very agreeable, but 
now I was oppressed. The day had been very clear 
— not a cloud to be seen — and the sun shone bright 
and hot. But as soon as we remounted, a chilli- 



24 Ehe HcathcrtoootJ (£oti. 

ness, that almost made my teeth chatter, seized my 
body, and continued until Dylks ordered a halt. 
Looking me steadfastly in the face for a minute or 
two, he said : ' Time is most precious now. We 
must stop praying. Now is the time for work. I 
now reveal unto you, that you are Paul, the apos- 
tle. You will shortly see most wonderful things. 
I will increase your faith so that you may see the 
sights of my power with understanding, and by 
them magnify my glory among men.' As soon as 
Dylks begun speaking the chilliness left me, and I 
felt more joyful than ever I felt before. Here 
Dylks cast his eyes skyward, and remained motion- 
less a few minutes. The bright light of day sud- 
denly became as mere twilight, then it as rapidly 
grew light as ever again, when Dylks exclaimed: 
' Did you not hear that sound — like the rushing 
storm. It was the Adversary of souls cleaving the 
air. I saw him sweep with hell-lit wings the top 
of yonder woods, and dart to earth to give me bat- 
tle. Fear not, I will vanquish him.' 

"We started on, and shortly descending into a 
ravine, thickly wooded, with steep hills on both 
sides of the road, when we saw the devil standing 
in our way. Dylks dismounted for the conflict, 
and exclaimed in a loud voice : ' Fear not, Paul ; 
this done, my work is done.' With a firm and de- 



5The aeartftertooofc ©otr. 25 

liberate step, Dylks marched on to the combat. 
Satan did not flee, but prepared to meet him. He 
poised himself on his cloven feet in firmest attitude 
for mortal stroke ; half lifted his flaming wings ; 
bristled his scaly folds with sounds like muttering 
thunders ; shot out his forked tongue, each prong 
streaming with liquid .fires ; rolled his glaring eyes, 
which seethed in their sockets ; while a hissing 
noise, terrible as the screams of the damned, bub- 
bled in the throat of his majesty infernal. 

" Dylks knelt and prayed, arose, shouted salva- 
tion, and blew his breath toward the enemy of 
mankind. The devil's wings dropped, his scaly 
folds recoiled, his tongue was motionless, and his 
eyes, appalled, stood still, and with leaps terrific, 
which shook the earth at each rebound, he fled the 
field. We followed with all the haste we could, 
keeping close upon him, until we came in sight of 
brother Mason's house, when the devil jumped the 
fence and sprang to the door. The door did not 
open, but the devil disappeared from us. 

" When we entered the house, which we did 
without hitching our horses, we found brother Ma- 
son in, and his son, Rev. David Mason, lying on a 
bed. He got up from the bed as soon as we en- 
tered, and embraced Dylks as his Savior, remark- 
ing that the devil had taken possession of him, and 



26 £he Hcatlmtooctr <£otr. 

that he knew Dylks as soon as he came in as his 
deliverer. Dylks then said : ' Let us pray.' We 
knelt, and Dylks prayed. When we arose from 
prayer, the house was filled with a strange, bright 
light, and every face shone with a luster beautiful 
to see. Dylks then walked around brother David 
Mason three times, rubbing his hand against his 
body all the time, and saying : ' I bind the devil 
for a thousand years, not to be loosed to meddle in 
the affairs of men.' Having done this, he embraced 
David seven times, hugging him with much feel- 
ing, and then exclaimed: 'The perfect work is 
done.' Dylks then sat down. After we had eaten 
and rested ourselves well, I proposed to have our 
horses unsaddled, but Dylks said: 'No, we must 
return to the Temple. Preaching now is vain, 
useless — useless. There is now no salvation only 
by me.' I had no power in me to resist any thing 
required of me by Dylks from that time on, so we 
bade the Masons good-bye and started home, where 
we arrived ; how, you all know. Dylks talked 
but little on our journey home, but continued to 
mutter to himself: ' The perfect work is done.' 
Dylks never shouted salvation after his return, 
but simply snorted." 



arfte aeatlicrtoooir ^otr. 27 

THE EFFECTS. 

The unexpected return of Dylks and McCor- 
mick, their marvelous story, and the public enun- 
ciation, now for the first time made by Dylks, that 
he was the true Messiah, come to set up a kingdom 
on earth, struck the community with amazement. 
This was intensified into the profoundest astonish- 
ment, when it became known that such men as Mc- 
Cormick, and Michael and John Brill, with others 
equal in repute to them, and fully one-half of the 
old worshipers at the Temfle, were believers in 
the doctrines of Dylks and firm adherents to his 
cause. 

The delusion spread with a rapidity scarcely 
ever equaled in the history of religious fanaticism. 
Family was set against family, parent against child, 
husband against wife, neighbor against neighbor, 
and so the imposture progressed, dividing and con- 
quering, until the whole church membership of the 
community were overwhelmed by it, except George 
Brill, Sr., and James Foreacre. They stood firm 
and unfaltering, the one a Methodist and the other 
a United Brethren, the only remaining pillars to 
sustain the old edifice of Christianity in that neigh- 
borhood. Around them the non-professors gath- 
ered to stem and beat back the wasting desolations 



28 arfte Heatftertooctt <£otr. 

of the Dylks' delusion. The Rev. Briggs was still 
sick, and had to be an unwilling and helpless wit- 
ness of the disruption of his church. His flock 
had wandered from the fold, and were gathered 
around a shepherd, who promised to lead them at 
once into the New Jerusalem, and that, too, with- 
out encountering the King of Terrors. 

THE TEMPLE SEIZED. 

As nearly all the church members of every de- 
nomination had gone over to Dylks, they seized 
the Temflc on the Sunday night following the re- 
turn of Dylks and McCormick, and dedicated it to 
the use of the new dispensation. Dylks preached 
the dedication sermon. The brethren and sisters 
assembled in a body, and many others congregated, 
prompted by Curiosity. At first, he was cautious 
in his language, but gradually grew bold, and at 
last gave utterance to the following blasphemous 
language: "I am God, and there is none else. 
I am God and the Christ united. In me, Father, 
Son, and the Holy Ghost are met. There is now 
no salvation for men except by faith in- me. All 
who put their trust in me shall never taste death, 
but shall be translated into the New Jerusalem, 
which I am about to bring down from Heaven." 
The brothers yelled : " We shall never die." The 



ariie ScaUicvtooofc ©otr. 29 

sisters screamed, Dylks snorted, and the spectators 
muttered indignant exclamations. The dedication 
ceremonies were converted into an uproarious re- 
ligious tumult. Men shouted and yelled, women 
screamed and uttered prayers to Dylks to have 
mercy upon them, while he stormed and snorted. 
As Dylks descended from the pulpit, McCormick 
exclaimed : " Behold our God !" and the believers 
fell on their knees and worshiped him. When par- 
tial order was restored, McCormick announced that 
the next meeting would be held that night a week, 
and the congregation was dismissed. 

The violent demonstrations of the Dylksites on 
Sunday night disgusted some who were wavering, 
and drove them back to the ancient landmarks, 
while they increased and confirmed the indignation 
and hatred of the non-professors. The lofty pre- 
tensions of the avowed God were soon put to the 
test. " We must have a miracle — some evidence 
of his stupendous powers must be produced — simple 
declamations will not do," were expressions every- 
where resounding in the ears of Dylks' disciples. 
He saw the necessity of some act to confirm his 
claims, and promised to make a seamless garment, 
if the cloth was furnished him. 



30 arfte aeathcrtooofc <£ofc. 



A MIRACLE THAT WAS NOT PERFORMED. 

Among the number carried away by the delusion 
was Mrs. Pulley, wife of him at whose house Dylks 
took his first supper in the neighborhood, as already 
mentioned. She was a very excellent and devout 
woman, and a prudent wife. She had just got home 
from the weaver's a piece of cloth intended for the 
winter clothing of the family. This piece of goods, 
as her husband was an unbeliever, she secretly con- 
veyed to Michael Brill's, at whose house the miracle 
was to be wrought. The people assembled at the 
appointed time, eager and anxious to see the sight. 
Friends were certain of its performance, enemies 
equally sure of a failure. Dylks delayed his corn- 
coming. Anxiety began to take possession of the 
believers, and mirth to fill the hearts of the 
" heathen doubters." Much they looked, and 
long they waited, but Dylks came not. Nor did 
the linsey cloth burst into seamless vestment un- 
der the magic touch of the miraculous artificer, 
but remained undisturbed in woof and roll. And 
so ended the effort at miracle. 

Sunday night came, and a large congregation 
assembled at die Temple, The following account 
of that meeting was communicated to me by Rev. 
George Brill, then, and now, a resident of the 



W\t Hcatlievtooofc ©otr. 31 

Salesville community. He is a son of George 
Brill, Sr., heretofore mentioned, and a nephew of 
Michael and John Brill. Mr. Brill was an eye- 
witness of the facts he narrates, and to him I am 
indebted for considerable other information about 
the Dylks' delusion : 



" The Temple was crowded. McCormick, who 
officiated on the occasion, stood, as was the custom 
of local preachers, in front of the pulpit. Dylks sat 
directly before him. During his remarks, McCor- 
mick alluded to Dylks as the ' Lion of the tribe of 
Judah,' and called him God. Dylks then sprang 
to his feet, and leaped into the air three times, giv- 
ing vent to his peculiar snorting. He then cried 
out with a loud voice : ' I am God, and besides me 
there is no Savior.' This he did several times dur- 
ing the evening. McCormick continued, * The 
day of salvation is past, the wicked shall be cut 
off, and we, the righteous, shall reign with Dylks 
a thousand years, with nothing to mar our peace or 
our happiness.' During the evening I saw several 
women go and fall down on their knees before 
Dylks and worship him. At the conclusion of the 
meeting, McCormick announced a meeting for the 
next Thursday evening, saying: 'When the old 



32 &he fieathettoooti C?otr. 

man, as you call him (meaning Dylks), will speak 
to the people.' 

" Dylks now staid most of his time (continued 
Mr. Brill) at my uncle's, Michael Brill, who, with 
his family, were all firm believers in his pretensions, 
and so was my brother Christopher, who lived with 
his uncle Michael. Christopher once came over 
to my father's, and, with tears in his eyes, tried to 
persuade father and mother to believe on Dylks. 
Father told him it was all a delusion, but he left 
weeping, saying : ' Your damnation will be sealed.' 

" During the time to Thursday night, many opin- 
ions were expressed about Dylks, and the excite- 
ment was intense. Some said he was crazy, others 
that he was after money, a few that McCormick put 
him up to it, but a large majority thought him to be 
what he said he was. 

" Before we went to the Temple on Thursday 
night, McCormick came to our house. Father was 
considerably aggravated at the shape matters had 
taken, and was in no humor to hear any of the folly 
of McCormick. He had not been there long, be- 
fore he began talking about the * new faithr,' and re- 
marked to father : *I shall never see corruption, as 
I shall never die ;' and then said : ' Uncle George, 
you can not shoot me.' Father sprang for his rifle, 
which hung on pegs in another room, and would 



Eht £eatftertoootf <&oir. 33 

have shot McCormick in the legs, if he had not 
begged off, saying: 'I was only in fun, uncle/ 
There were a good many of Dylks' believers there, 
on the way to the Temple, and it was quite a damper 
on their ardor to see McCormick act that way. 

"The crowd at the Temple that night was great. 
We could see them coming from every point of the 
compass. Before we got to the house, McCormick 
said : ' Dylks will not be out to-night, but I will fill 
his place ;' as much as to say, I am God ! Some 
person had started, for fun I suppose, a report that 
he would be mobbed that night if he came out. 
The Temple was crowded full, and nearly all 
eager to see the Mighty God enter the church, but 
he did not come. 

"Rev. Biggs went early, and set down in the 
pulpit with his head bowed down, so as to hide 
himself from the congregation. Of the vast crowd 
only one or two knew he was there. McCormick 
took his seat in front of the pulpit. All seemed to 
be anxious to see what would come next, and a per- 
fect silence prevailed in the crowded house, when 
the Rev. Briggs arose to his feet, as if he had been 
a specter, looked for a full minute over the congre- 
gation, and said: 'This is all a fal lal laW A 
scene followed that beggars description. The dis- 
ciples of .Dylks sprang to their feet, and with one 



34 &he fieatltertoootr ©otr. 

voice, as it were, cried out : ' He is my God ; ' and 
then left for Michael Brill's, where Dylks was, 
shouting as they went : * He is my God.' But a 
mere remnant was left, as the followers of Dylks 
principally made up the crowd." 

A REVEREND CONVERT. 

The fame of Dylks had, by this time, spread 
throughout the Leatherwood circuit, and had 
reached the ears of the clergy in other fields of la- 
bor. Curiosity to see the pretender was excited in 
many of the preachers, and one of them yielded to 
the temptation. His name was Samuel Davis, a 
young man of fine talents, and who had just been 
put into the itinerancy of the United Brethren 
church, in the north part of the State. So he set 
out to see for himself this man who had put him- 
self in the place of God. At Wooster, Ohio, he 
fell in with a young fellow-preacher, named Jacob 
Brill, son of George Brill, Sr., who was in charge 
of the Wooster circuit. Brill was about to come 
home on a visit when Rev, Davis arrived at Woos- 
ter. So they started for the Salesville neighborhood 
together. Late one afternoon they arrived at the 
house of one Heaps, a preaching station in the 
Leatherwood circuit, near Antrim, Guernsey 
county. Before they entered the house Brill heard 



2The fieatftettoooti <&otr. 35 

that Dylks was there. He therefore cautioned Rev. 
Davis against him. Davis replied: " Bro. Brill, 
3'ou need not give yourself any fears about that 
matter." They were introduced to Dylks. After 
supper Brill asked Davis : " What do you think of 
him by this time? " Think of him ! He's noth- 
ing but a crazy old man," was Davis' reply. " Be- 
ware, or he'll have you, sir." ** Never," rejoined 
Davis. 

During the conversations of the. evening, Davis 
seemed to give but little heed to what Dylks said, 
and treated him with studied indifference. The 
next morning, however, when Brill proposed that 
they start on their journey, Davis said: " No, I 
shall not go now. I shall remain until Dylks 
goes." Brill, finding Davis had determined to stay, 
went on by himself. In a few days Dylks and 
Davis arrived in company at the Salesville neigh- 
borhood, stopping at Mr. McCormick's. In a short 
time thereafter, Davis announced himself a believer 
in the teachings of Dylks. 

ARRESTED BY A MOB. 

Dylks' star, which had rushed to the zenith so 
rapidly, now began to wane. Enemies commenced 
to organize an opposition, and friends, when they 
saw that his lofty pretensions when put to the test, 



36 ftfte aeatftertootrti (ftotr. 

were only empty boastings, began to doubt. Hav- 
ing their plans perfected for the arrest of Dylks, 
they lost no time in putting them into execution, 
Mr. Brill's communication contains quite a graphic 
narration of the doings of the mob which arrested 
Dylks and carried him before the magistrates ; and 
I transcribe it in full. Mr. Brill says : 

"William GifTord, who lived in the neighbor- 
hood, had a daughter named Mary, a pretty and 
smart girl, about seventeen years of age. She was 
a believer in Dylks, and would listen to nothing 
her father and friends could say to her. She spent 
most of her time going around with the disciples 
wherever Dylks was. Gifford was a kind father, 
very fond of his daughter, and much distressed at 
her conduct ; he entreated her with all his power to 
leave the delusion. She finally told him : ' If you 
will get me a single strand of his hair, father, I 
will renounce my belief in him as God.' Dylks 
had made them believe that this could not be done. 
GifTord resolved to have that lock of hair. 

"James Foreacre, son-in-law of John Brill and 
brother-in-law of McCormick, was deeply mortified 
at their course, as he was a member of John Brill's 
class, and he determined to see if Dylks could not 
be frightened from the place, hoping by this to save 
Brill and McCormick. 



&fte Seatiuvtooofc OKoxr. 37 

" So, on a Thursday night, some weeks after the 
affair at the Temple, Dylks and some of the * little 
flock ' assembled at McCormick's. Dylks always 
called his disciples ' the little flock,' quoting that 
passage which reads : * Fear not, little flock, it is 
your father's good pleasure to give you the king- 
dom.' James Foreacre heard of the meeting, and 
got his brother John to go with him to McCor- 
mick's to help arrest Dylks. 

" The same evening William Gifford attended 
meeting at Miller's Chapel, and there organized a 
company of four or five to go with him on the same 
errand that Foreacre and his party were about to 
endeavor to perform. But neither knew of the 
other's intentions. The Foreacres arrived at Mc- 
Cormick's first, went in, and tried to get at Dylks, 
but were driven out by the * little flock.' John 
Foreacre then cut a club and said: 'I'll have 
Dylks or die in the attempt.' The Gifford party 
had now arrived, and as the Foreacres entered the 
house at the south door, they entered at the north. 
The ' little flock' was taken by surprise. My 
brother Christopher was of the ' little flock,' and he 
took a three-legged stool and got ready to throw it 
at them, when he thought: ' Why should I fight 
for God Almighty, , so he put the stool down and 
left, and gave up his would-be God. 



38 £iie 2Leatftettooo& <&o%. 

" By this time, Dylks had slipped into the kitchen 
and hid himself in a corner by the chimney. Gif- 
ford sought him out, seized him by the hair of the 
head, and dragged him out of the house, and con- 
tinued to drag him out through the yard. He tore 
out a considerable lock of Dylks' hair as a trophy 
to carry home to his daughter Mary. They had 
Dylks, but they did not know what to do with him. 
He made no resistance. Some one proposed to 
hang him, when Dylks trembled mightily. Another 
said, let's thresh him, and let him go. Finally, 
they concluded to take him before 'Squire James 
Frame, and see what the Civil Code provided for 
such fellows." 

As Mr. Brill's account is silent as to what took 
place at 'Squire Frame's, I give it as I heard it 
from one who was an eye-witness. 

BEFORE 'SQUIRE FRAME. 

James Frame, the justice before whom D\ T lks 
was taken, was a son of Thomas Frame, one of the 
first settlers in that community, and a Methodist. 
The 'Squire was a man of good sense", and well 
versed in the statutes of the State. When the 
party reached the office with Dylks, they were 
soon informed by his honor that he had no law by 
which to try a " God." Thomas Frame, the father. 



W\t Seatftertooofc <£otr. 39 

was present in the room. After the justice had re- 
fused to take cognizance of the case, the old man 
stood a few minutes in silence, surveying the 
strange-looking personage before him, and then 
inquired : " Do you pretend, sir, to be God Al- 
mighty?" "I am God, and there is none else," 
replied Dylks. The old man remained silent sev- 
eral seconds, then extending both hands toward 
Dylks, very solemnly said: "May the Lord have 
mercy on your poor soul." Dylks smiled and re- 
marked : " The old man will believe by and by." 
Had Dylks remained silent, he would have been 
spared further trouble ; but his wicked answer 
made the mob more furious than ever. So they 
bore him away to confront 'Squire Omstot, of Wash- 
ington, Guernsey county, Ohio. This dignitary's 
office was located about where the Ark store-house 
now stands in that village. 

IN COURT AGAIN. 

Arriving here bright and early in the morning, 
they awoke the public functionary from his slum- 
bers to sit in judgment on the conduct of a pre- 
tended God. The morning was frosty, and the 
party chilled ; but the 'Squire soon had his office 
aglow with warming flames, and they were ready 
for business. The specifications, charges, and 



40 5The Unitftntoootr (Sotr. 

statements of the accusers were duly presented. 
And now there came looming up new questions, 
grave and solemn, such as had never before been 
^ broached in the jurisprudence of his little court. 
Something must be done, but what should that 
something be? The 'Squire, having in finished 
style rubbed his " specks," and put them on his 
nose, took down the book containing the " be it 
enacted" of the General Assembly. With stunning 
look, he conned its pages, scanned the sections de- 
fining crimes; but, unsatisfied, turned his eyes, 
beaming with fresh-born hope, to the constitutional 
provision guaranteeing religious freedom ; closed 
the book, and replaced it on the shelf; took off his 
" specks" and rubbed them again ; threw a forlorn 
and despairing glance at the crowd, as if imploring 
pity for his miserable predicament, and subsided 
into a reverie, more perplexed and worse con- 
founded than he had been before his reading. The 
suspense was terrible. How we are sometimes 
lifted unexpectedly to ourselves from the mire and 
clay of ignorance to the firm, broad highway of 
knowledge by the helping hand of some profess- 
ional or literary friend. So it was with the 'Squire. 
A Cambridge lawyer happened to be in town, and 
after consultation with him, the 'Squire, with eyes 
blazing with wisdom, and a mein bridled and reined 



with the starchy grace of judicial dignity, reseated 
himself. A 'Squire was of some consequence in 
those days. The crowd stood tiptoe, bending their 
bodies and shooting out their necks to catch the 
first sound of the magisterial thunder. The 'Squire 
spoke : " In this country every man has a right to 
worship what God he pleases, and that under his 
own vine and fig tree, none daring to molest or 
make him afraid. With religious fanaticism our 
laws have nothing to do, unless it be pushed so far 
as to violate some of our public ordinances. This 
I find the prisoner has not done ; he must therefore 
go acquitted." 

While the 'Squire was hunting the law, consult- 
ing the lawyer, and pronouncing his decision, 
Dylks conducted himself with fortitude and humil- 
ity. When the opinion of his Honor had been 
given, and before the crowd began to breathe easy 
after the mighty strain on their attention, the friends 
of Dylks, apprehensive of violence from the Fore- 
acre party, gave him a wink. He sprang to the 
street and bounded up the pike, followed by his 
shouting accusers, who hurled at him a shower of 
the recently broken stone that strewed the road. 
Dylks escaped untouched, and was lost by his 
pursuers in a woods which skirted the pike at the 
east end of the village. 



42 arfte aeatltertooo* ^ot». 

REIGN OF TERROR. 

The Foreacre party, though foiled in the legal 
prosecution, had gained a victory by putting the pre- 
tended God to flight, and so returned in triumph to 
Leatherwood. Being now in the ascendant, if not 
by numbers, yet certainly by the war spirit, they 
brought the community under surveillance to their 
power. The neighborhood was regularly and vig- 
ilantly patrolled; the houses of the "believers" 
put under strict watch, and the entire region round 
about the Temple^ sleeplessly scoured by the scouts. 
Many were the insults offered by them to the 
"faithful." Menace and threats were indulged in 
so freely that the leaders of the Dylks party de- 
sisted from all public demonstrations, and quietly 
awaited the subsidence of the mob spirit. Miss 
Gifford, having been put in possession of the lock 
of hair, torn by her father from the head of Dylks, 
had lost faith in the truthfulness of his Godship. A 
few others deserted the faith, and it appeared evi- 
dent to the opposition that they had exploded the 
delusion. Dylks not appearing, the believers re- 
maining quiet, and the indignation of the chief 
promoters of the persecution having expended itself, 
the community settled to its previous placid con- 
dition. 



W\t Heatfiertoooir (j&otr. 43 

WHAT THE DYLKSITES WERE DOING. 

Although the " believers," during the reign of 
terror, had abandoned their public meetings and in- 
structions, they were, nevertheless, sedulously 
spreading the faith in secret. But no sooner had 
persecution ceased, and active opposition ended, 
than they renewed their public worship under the 
lead of McCormick. 

Their number had not been in the least depleted 
by the persecution, although a few had gone back 
to the " herd of the lost," yet new converts had 
been made sufficient to compensate for those who 
had gone astray. Besides, the persecution had the 
same effect upon the deluded that it always has 
had when directed against religious fanaticism ; it 
only intensified their faith and strengthened their 
feelings of brotherhood. Their public services 
were held sometimes at Michael Brill's, sometimes 
at John Brill's, and at other times at the Temple, 

WHAT HAD BECOME OF DYLKS. 

Dylks, who had disappeared on the run, had not 
yet made his appearance, and what had become of 
him was unknown to the " lost," as all were so de- 
nominated who rejected the teachings of the im- 
postor. Many were the stories invented, both by 



44 &he ScatftertoooS <&otr. 

his friends and his foes, about what had become of 
him. Some said he had been taken by the angels 
up to heaven ; others that he was wandering about 
the neighborhood of -the Temple. Occasionally, 
strange lights were seen, and queer noises heard, 
by some night traveler, and these were said to be 
produced by the collision of Dylks' spiritual essence 
with some Plutonian emissary come to torment the 
faithful, but driven away by the timely interference 
of their Lord and Master. Another story, much 
circulated at the time, represented that Dylks was 
seen in the western part of" Pennsylvania, near 
Washington, with his face to the East, and walking 
very fast. The facts, however, are that after he es- 
caped from his accusers at Washington, he made 
his way back to the Salesville neighborhood. That 
while the terrors and vigilance of the opposition 
lasted, he remained secreted in the woods or out- 
houses, or at the obscure residence of some be- 
liever little noted, having his wants supplied by his 
disciples. On several occasions he narrowly es- 
caped detection and consequent violence by the in- 
discretion of his friends, who, when conveying him 
food, so acted as to excite the suspicion of the op- 
position. 

AN ESCAPE. 

At one time during the fury of the Foreacre 



party, the retreat of Dylks was ferreted out by 
three of them who were hunting him. They all had 
a plain sight of him, but he escaped in a manner 
unknown and mysterious. From certain actions 
of his disciples, it was suspected that he was hid 
in a thicket on the lands of one William St. Clair, 
who lived about a mile west of the Temfle. Mr. 
St. Clair was one of his proselytes, and had, on 
several occasions, aided Dylks in eluding the pur- 
suit of his enemies. The thicket was about mid- 
way between Michael Brill's and St. Clair's, and, 
as both of these gentlemen were his warm friends, 
of course their houses and farms came in for a 
large share of the attention of the infidel mobocrats. 
The thicket was surrounded entirely by deep, stag- 
nant waters, except a narrow bench of land that 
formed a place of exit, but which could be readily 
watched by a single person. The three who were 
on the hunt of him entered the thicket on this nar- 
row strip of land, and near the center of the area 
inclosed by the waters found Dylks sitting on a log. 
Fearing he might escape them, and to be certain 
of their game, they returned to the narrowest point 
of the passway through which they had entered the 
thicket, and posted two of their number as guards, 
while the third was dispatched to inform their com- 
rades. In a short time, eight or ten others arrived 



46 me ScaUtcrtoGofc (So*. 

at the point occupied by the guards. Leaving four 
of their number to watch the passage, the remain- 
der marched into the circle formed by the guards 
and water, but after searching the grounds with all 
the care of men in earnest, leaving no place in 
which a human being could be secreted unexam- 
ined, they found no Dylks. He had vanished from 
their grasp. 

DYLKS REAPPEARS. 

Dylks was naturally a coward. For several 
weeks he had endured the horrors of great fear, 
and suffered an isolation as painful as an imprison- 
ment. Nor did he permit himself to be seen by 
any but the faithful for a week or two after the op- 
position had disbanded their organization, and 
ceased to pay any attention to the disciples of the 
new faith. Fearing no longer for his personal 
safety, he made his appearance at a public meeting 
of the " believers" at Michael Brill's. He here 
exhibited great trepidation, watching every new 
comer with looks of suspicion, and keeping him- 
self in constant trim for flight. He soon grew 
bold, however, and again began to visit through 
the neighborhood, extending them for several 
miles around the lemfle. 



Eht fieathcrtooerti (£oir. 47 

FRESH DEVELOPMENTS AND AN ORGANIZATION. 

For weeks following the reappearance of Dylks, 
divers meetings were held, and visitations from 
house to house carried on, the " brethren" strength- 
ened, the wavering confirmed, and proselytes made 
and added to their numbers. Novelty, mystery, 
and miracle constitute the vital principles of every 
"new faith." And it is indispensable, also, that 
some of these be constantly active in the produc- 
tion of fresh developments to meet the emergencies 
of opposition, and to prevent the lukewarmness 
of the membership. Besides, members are noth- 
ing without an organization to bring them into 
order, to give adhesion to the individual parts, and 
to secure the permanency of the whole. 

Dylks could not do the miraculous, but he could 
make promises stupendously novel, and could en- 
velope his actions with an atmosphere of mystery. 
As an organizer, he was a mere bungler. 

But the time had now come when fresh develop- 
ments must be made, and an organization perfected. 
So, to accomplish these purposes, a meeting of the 
"faithful" was held on a Sunday night, toward the 
close of October, 1828, at the house of Michael 
Brill. Rev. Davis, McCormick, John Brill, and 
many of the disciples were there assembled. 



48 srfte acathcrtoooH (£qTj. 

Dylks announced to the brethren, that although the 
kingdom he was about to set up was to be on the 
earth, yet it was not of this world — was to be one of 
peace, harmony, and brotherly love. That as they 
had been met by violence, denunciation, and perse- 
cution, thereby subjecting them to much suffering 
for the faith, and that if he persisted in his work at 
that point, it was probable other outrages would be 
practiced upon them, and that as he did not wish to 
use force to cany forward the good work and es- 
tablish the great city, he had determined not to 
bring down the New Jerusalem in that neighbor- 
hood, but had fixed on the city of Philadelphia as 
the point for its foundation. He also informed them 
that the time had fully come for the beginning of 
that work, to do which he must have his assistants, 
whom he called his apostles. He then revealed 
to the membership the persons who were to be his 
apostles : Rev. Davis was to be the " Peter " of the 
Dylks' dispensation, and Michael Brill the " Silas," 
and that it would be necessary for them and Mc- 
Cormick, who was the " Paul," to go with him to 
Philadelphia, to assist in the establishment of the 
great city, which was to be the city of all cities, 
and was to fill the earth with its magnificence and 
glory. That, during their absence, the " little 
flock" was to be tended by John Brill, who was to 



STfte Hcathntoootr (ftofc. 49 

see that they met together once in each week for 
prayers and instruction. That, when they prayed, 
the believers should keep their faces to the East, 
and he would not fail to remember them. That, 
having erected the New Jerusalem, and made all 
things ready, he and his apostles would return, 
gather up the faithful, and transplant them in the 
midst of the great city. 

Dylks, at the same meeting, presented his believ- 
ers with a description of his New Jerusalem : *' Its 
light would eclipse the splendor of the sun. The 
temples thereof, and the residences of the faithful, 
would be built of diamonds excelling the twinkling 
beauty of the stars. Its walls were to be of solid 
gold, and its gates silver. The streets were to be 
covered with green velvet, richer in luster and fab- 
ric than mortal eye ever beheld. The gardens 
thereof were to be filled with all manner of fruits, 
precious to the sight, and pleasant to the taste. 
That the faithful would ride in chariots of crimson, 
drawn by jet black horses that needed no drivers, 
and that their joys would go on increasing forever. 
That the air of the city would be redolent with the 
aroma of shrub and flower, while ten thousand 
different instruments, attuned to the symphony of 
heaven, would fill the courts, streets, temples, res- 
idences, and gardens with music ineffably sweet, 



50 5TIxe Heatiwtoooii <&otr. 

swelling the souls of the saved with perpetual de- 
light." 

He informed his apostles that they must set out 
on their- journey early the next morning. The 
question was then sprung as to money to bear the 
expenses of the trip, when Dylks remarked: "As 
for money, these," pulling three old rusty coppers 
from his pocket, " will be sufficient; for of them I 
can make millions of gold and silver." 

THE JOURNEY TO PHILADELPHIA. 

By times in the morning, those three devoted dis- 
ciples of Dylks and apostles of his dispensation, 
Rev. Davis, McCormick, and Michael Brill, with 
their lord and master, started afoot from McCor- 
mick's for the city of Philadelphia. 

They pursued their journey, sometimes by the 
highways, sometimes by the by-ways; at other 
times striking through fields and plunging across 
forests, scaling mountains without regard to roads, 
but always coming precisely to the ferries and 
bridges that afforded passage of the rivers and 
streams which lay in their way. How they man- 
aged to obtain food and lodging remains a secret to 
this moment. Dylks, however, so acted as to pro- 
cure both. When they arrived to within about 
three miles of the city, the road they were pursu- 



mu Heatfteitoootr <£otr. 51 

ing forked. Dylks now said : " Faithful apostles, 
it is now necessary for us to separate for a time. 
Paul and Silas will take the south fork of this road, 
I and Peter will pursue the north. We meet again 
where the light from heaven shall shine brightest 
within the city, for there will the New Jerusalem 
begin to expand to fill the earth." They parted. 
McCormick and Brill went on, and in due time ar- 
rived at the city, but saw no light. They journeyed 
the city over, but saw no light. Day after day they 
traveled the city, street bystreet, trembling between 
hope and fear, but still found no light. The light 
never came, nor did Dylks or Davis. Having re- 
mained until the last vestige of hope vanished, with 
sorrowings and weepings, foot-sore and moneyless, 
they set their faces toward Baltimore, where they 
arrived in due time. Here, from the pledge of 
their tobacco crop, which was still in the hands 
of a commission merchant, they procured funds 
and went home by stage. They made a truthful 
report of the events of their journey, suppressing 
nothing. The effects of Dylks' trickery upon the 
brotherhood was scarcely perceptible. They had 
become too deeply imbued with the bewildering in- 
fluence of the delusion to yield it up, no matter 
what the defeat to their expectations might be, or 
how dastardly soever Dylks should act. Illustrat- 



52 &i\e Seathcttooofc (Soft. 

ing that declaration of holy writ, that man may be 
so far led away by delusion that he will believe a 
lie to his own damnation. 

DYLKS' SUCCESSIVE CLAIMS. 

I have spent much time to gather together from 
the statements of both friends and foes of Dylks, 
his claims and pretensions, and the order in which 
he promulged them, with the arguments advanced 
to sustain them. In so doing, I have carefully 
compared the testimony, and have adduced from 
the evidence thus afforded me the following sum- 
mary : 

When Dylks first made his appearance in the 
neighborhood of the Temfle, he claimed to be only 
an "humble teacher" of Christianity. Shortly, 
however, he pretended to be the Christ of Calvary, 
returned to resurrect the saints, and to set up the 
millennium. While he was enforcing upon the be- 
lievers this pretension, he would often exhibit what 
he said were the nail marks in his hands, the spear 
mark in his side, and the thorn marks on his brow. 
Having established this claim firmly irr the minds 
of his disciples, he began to teach that although 
Jesus Christ was a real Messiah, had been cruci- 
fied, and had arisen from the dead, yet that he was 
not that perfect Messiah and Christ, vouchsafed to 



&fie Zeatftertoooii (Sftrti. 53 

man by the promise that : " The seed of the woman 
should bruise the serpent's head," in that " Shiloh" 
that was to " come," and in that Holy One that was 
not " to see corruption." He contended that that 
" seed," that " Shiloh," and that " Holy One," ac- 
cording to these promises, should never taste death. 
So death should have no dominion over him (Dylks). 
That if one died, so long as he was dead, so long 
death held dominion over him. He said that death, 
therefore, as a matter of fact, had had dominion 
over Jesus Christ — had had a real triumph over 
him. That the physical sciences demonstrated that 
a dead body at the time of year in which the cruci- 
fixion occurred, and in the latitude of Jerusalem, 
and dead, too, for thirty-six hours, would necessa- 
rily within that time commence to decompose, es- 
pecially where the skin should be broken. That 
in the mere article of death there is corruption. 

That the perfect Messiah and Savior should 
never taste death, but should be as immortal and 
immutable as the Father. And that he, Joseph C. 
Dylks, was that perfect Messiah and Savior, and 
hence should never die nor see corruption. After 
he had impressed these teachings upon the belief 
of his disciples, he assumed that this perfect Mes- 
siah and Savior must of necessity be God. And 
that he, Joseph C. Dylks, was the only and true 



54 &fte acathertoooir <&ofc. 

God — Creator and preserver of all things, and the 
finisher of man's salvation. 

The time consumed in passing from one of these 
pretensions to another was short, as the zeal and 
infatuation of his followers made them ready to 
embrace and believe any thing he should affirm. 
Having taken the first step toward consummate 
blasphemy, they appeared anxious to reach it as 
soon as possible. 

STABILITY OF THEIR BELIEF. 

The firmness with which the followers of Dylks 
adhered to their faith is really surprising ; for it is 
very doubtful, indeed, whether any one of them 
ever yielded up his belief in him as verily and truly 
God. Although death came and carried off one 
after another of the "believers," who, according to 
the faith, should never die, still those who remained 
were as unwavering in their belief as before. The 
church of the "old faith" was broken up, and 
could not be organized until new comers had accu- 
mulated in the neighborhood in sufficient numbers 
to begin anew — the D} r lksites remaining by them- 
selves, isolated and alone. And at this moment, 
there is not one person living who gave his adhe- 
sion to the " new faith," who is not as firm now as 
he was then in the " faith." Those even who were 



little girls and boys then, but now men and women 
going down the declivity of life, are still looking 
for the reappearance of D} : lks to establish the New 
Jerusalem and gather them within its walls. 

THE RATTLESNAKE MAN. 

The following incident illustrates how the chil- 
dren were corrupted by the " faith." It was com- 
municated to me by an eye-witness of the facts re- 
lated : 

In the summer of 1850, a large man, about 
thirty-five years old, stopped for dinner at the hotel 
of Mr. Robert Mills, in Barnesville, Ohio. He 
was dressed in an uncolored homespun suit, cut 
after the plain style of the old Methodists, and 
wore his hair and beard long and disheveled. He 
had a fine horse, saddle and bridle, and on the va- 
lise pad was strapped a small flat box. Having 
dismounted, he carefully unstrapped the box, and 
carried it under his arm into the sitting-room of the 
hotel. When invited to dinner, he took the box 
with him, and put it on the floor by the side of his 
chair. After dinner he brought the box into the 
bar-room, and instantly inquired if any one wished 
to see a rattlesnake ; if so, he would show one for a 
dime apiece. A purse was soon made up. The 
stranger opened the box, and a large rattlesnake, 



56 arhe aeatncttooofc <&otr. 

having eighteen rattles, emerged from it and coiled 
itself on the floor. It was lively, and rejoiced to 
see its master ; it shook its rattles, threw open its 
mouth, and shot out its tongue. The snake was 
fangless. One of the spectators seeing this, inquired 
the cause. 

" When I caught it, I took it up and knocked out 
the teeth with my jack-knife." 

i6 Were you not afraid to take hold of it?" 

" No, for had it bit me, it would have done me 
no harm. I shall never die; I shall live three 
hundred and fifty years precisely from this year, 
and shall then be transferred into the New Jerusa- 
lem without seeing death." 

He then proceeded for over an hour to expatiate 
upon the claims of Dylks, saying that he had often 
seen him in the spirit — had frequent conversations 
with him ; and he had been informed by Dylks that 
before the end of the present century, he should 
descend to earth and establish a kingdom of uni- 
versal righteousness ; but the building of the New 
Jerusalem would be deferred for three hundred and 
fifty years. The stranger gave his name as Moses 
Hartley ; he resided in the mountains of what is 
now West Virginia. He lived in the Salesville 
settlement at the time Dylks made his advent, had 
seen and heard him preach. He had just been on 



5Tfte fieatfwtoooir €£oir. 57 

a visit to the Temple, "the only place," he said, 
" where true religion had ever been revealed to 
man." 

RETURN OF REV. DAVIS, 

About seven years after the exit of Dylks near 
Philadelphia, the Rev. Davis returned to the neigh- 
borhood of the Temfle. In the interval, the United 
Brethren congregation, recovering from the shock 
of the delusion, had put up their new church at the 
village of Salesville. Davis, who was well dressed, 
and looked as if he had lived sumptuously during 
his absence, boldly asked the use of the church in 
which to deliver a religious discourse. His request 
was granted, and at night he addressed the large 
congregation that came out to hear him for two or 
three hours. He there declared that he had seen 
Dylks ascend to heaven, and that he would shortly 
return to earth to set up his kingdom ; that Dylks 
was God, and that there was no true religion but 
that which recognized him as such. He denounced 
Christianity, saying : "It is only a hotchpotch of 
Judaism and heathenism." And that " the religion 
taught in the house in which I am preaching is as 
abominable as the car of Juggernaut or a temple 
for idols." 

Davis left the next morning, and has never been 
heard of since. 



58 &fte Scathcttooofc (Soft. 



DEATH OF THE APOSTLES. 

Michael Brill died about two years after his re- 
turn from Philadelphia, continuing to be until death 
a sincere believer in the pretensions of Dylks. 

Mr. McCormick lived for many years after the 
disappearance of Dylks. Throughout life he 
dressed much as Dylks did at his advent, wearing 
his hair so long that it hung below his shoulders. 
He died a few years ago an unflinching Dylksite. 

Of the career of Dylks after his separation from 
McCormick and Brill, near the city of Philadel- 
phia, nothing is known. No reliance, of course, 
can be put in the stories of the Rev. Davis and 
Moses Hartley. 

He came, performed his extraordinary part in 
the history of the Salesville church, set up his 
claim as the God of the universe, spread abroad 
his sacrilegious teachings, gathered about him 
many followers, established a discord in the church 
at Leatherwood Temple, which has not yet ceased, 
and then vanished. And this, in all probability, is 
all we shall ever know of him. 



Outline of Contents, 



The Leatherwood God, 7. Region where he 
appeared, 7. State of religion in the settlement, 9. 
Leatherwood Circuit, 11. Advent of the Leather- 
wood God, 12. His personal appearance, 14. 
Subsequent conduct, 15. Prominent converts, 18. 
Progress of the delusion, 20. The journey and ad- 
ventures of Dylks and McCormick, 22. The ef- 
fects, 27. The Temple seized, 28. A miracle 
that was not performed, 30. Rev. George Brill's 
account of proceedings, 31. A reverend convert, 
34. Arrested by a mob, 35. Before 'Squire 
Frame, 38. In court again, 39. Reign of ter- 
ror, 42. What the Dylksites were doing, 43. 
What had become of Dylks, 43. An escape, 44. 
Dylks reappears, 46. Fresh developments and an 
organization, 47. The journey to Philadelphia, 
50. Dylks' successive claims, 52. Stability of 
their belief, 54. The rattlesnake man, 55. Death 

of the apostles, 57. 

(59) 



^|p ftpatijirtnoob (Job 



AN ACCOUNT OF THE 



APPEARANCE AND PRETENSIONS 



JOSEPH C. DYLKS 



In Eastern Ohio in 1828 



BY 

R, H. TANEYHILL 



CINCINNATI 

ROBERT CLARKE A CO 

1880 



C IUI- Y\Q 



